


Pressure

by AchillesMonkey



Series: Care and Comfort - AoS Non-Sexual Age Play Stories [4]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Age Play, Alcohol, Big Sister Bobbi, Bottle-Feeding, Caretaking, Comfort Toys, Cuddling & Snuggling, Daddy Coulson, Daisy Johnson Needs a Hug, Diapers, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Everyone Needs A Hug, Father-Daughter Relationship, Father-Son Relationship, Feeding, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Jemma Simmons Needs a Hug, Lance Hunter Needs a Hug, Leo Fitz Needs a Hug, Little Daisy, Little Fitz, Little Hunter, Little Jemma, Migraine, Mother-Son Relationship, Non-Sexual Age Play, Pacifiers, Platonic Bed-sharing, Platonic Cuddling, Rubik's Cube, Sassy Fitz, Scolding, Security Blanket, Sensory Overload, Team as Family, Thumb-sucking, Uncle Mack - Freeform, mama may, mildly AU, post 3x02, pull-ups, sensory processing disorder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-15
Updated: 2016-05-21
Packaged: 2018-06-08 13:58:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6857827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AchillesMonkey/pseuds/AchillesMonkey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Join the family once more as they deal with the events of 3x02. This fic contains non-sexual age play between Mama May, Daddy Coulson, Little Fitz, Little Hunter, Little Jemma, and Little Daisy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> May and Lance have a heart-to-heart.

MELINDA

“Simmons is back,” May announces, as she hangs up the phone. “She’s okay.”

“Are you serious?” Hunter turns around to stare at her in shock. “Fitz, you _absolute beauty_! Come on! Beers? Let’s get beers. Come on, May, smile for once in your life!”

She does smile. Her little girl is back from wherever that rock took her. She’s safe now, with Coulson and the rest of the team. It should be one less worry in her mind. Except that it isn’t. Who knows what happened to Jemma during her time away? How will she react to being back on Earth after six months wherever she had been? It takes every ounce of May’s willpower to follow Hunter as he heads to the nearest bar instead of stealing a car and driving straight back to the Playground to check on her baby.

She sips at her beer, keeping a sharp eye on the other patrons of the bar, while Hunter downs pint after pint. They’re mostly ignored until Hunter, a few drinks in, starts loudly singing some sort of football chant. At least that’s what she thinks it is. It’s even harder to understand him when he’s drunk. They start to get glares thrown their way, so May grabs Hunter’s arm and forces him back to the car, ignoring his protests. She drives them to a shady-looking motel near the warehouse where the weapons are stored. She wants a few hours sleep before having to infiltrate Hydra, and Hunter needs to sober up.

She drops their bags on the floor and finds her toiletry bag in hers as Hunter grabs the remote and turns the television on. May takes it from him as she walks by, pressing the power button, and putting the remote back on the dresser.

“Oi!” Hunter protests. “I want to see if footy’s on!”

“No television,” May tells him firmly. “It’s bedtime.” She gets her toothbrush and toothpaste out of her toiletry bag, watching Hunter in the mirror. He reaches for the remote again. “If you turn the television on, I’ll make you stand in the corner,” May threatens.

Hunter pauses and turns to look at her. “You can’t; I’m a grown man.”

“Sometimes,” May agrees. “Most of the time, though, you’re a little boy lacking in discipline.” She turns to face him. “And if you want to find out whether or not I can make you, please,” she gestures at the television with her toothbrush, “try me.”

Hunter scowls and turns away from the television, dropping face-first onto the bed nearest the door. May can’t help but think about the number of bodily fluids most likely covering the bedspread and cringes internally. She finishes brushing her teeth and puts her toiletry bag away. She tosses the bedspread on the other bed to the floor, turns out the light, and lies down, setting an alarm on her phone before closing her eyes, trying to relax.

“Mum?” Lance’s voice sounds just as she’s almost asleep. It’s muffled, and at first she’s not certain that she heard him correctly. Then he repeats himself, louder this time. “Mum?”

“Yes?” she answers, opening her eyes and rolling over so that she can see him. He’s turned his head so he can see her as well, eyeing her nervously. “What is it, Lance?”

“Why did you never come back?”

She rolls back over so that she’s staring at the ceiling, unable to look at the hurt in his eyes. She doesn’t—can’t—answer right away. Why had she stayed away when Jemma was swallowed by the monolith? Why had she stayed away when Skye was grappling with her identity and the knowledge of her birth parents? Why had she stayed away when Leo lost his partner yet again? Why had she stayed away when Lance had to watch as his partner recovered from torture? Why had she stayed away when Phil needed her help? Why had she stayed away when Andrew refused to see her anymore?

“I think,” she begins to answer, hesitantly, “that it would have been too much.”

“Too much?”

“Too much pressure,” she clarifies. “Everyone relies on me to be strong. They think I am emotionless, and because of that I can take on everyone else’s emotions. But just because I do not show my emotions does not mean I do not feel them. After the _Iliad_ , there was so much going on. Everyone needed me, and it just became too much to handle. Andrew invited me to get away from it all, so I did. It was wonderful, to not face any dangers, or worry about my life every second of every day. I wanted to see if I could live like that every day.”

“But you can’t,” Lance observes, “or else you wouldn’t have greeted me with a knife to me throat.”

“No, I can’t,” she agrees.

She hears him moving: getting off of the bed, opening his backpack, and walking over to sit on the foot of her bed. “Here,” he says, holding something out to her. She sits up and turns on the lamp. He’s offering her the completed Rubik’s Cube. “I figured it out all by meself; I didn’t even ask Leo to help me,” he tells her as she takes it from him.

“Well done, Lance,” she praises, smiling proudly at him.

He smiles back, pleased with himself, before a more serious expression takes over. “You should have come back. We can be there for you too, if you let us.”

She doesn’t respond, and he gets up, making his way into the bathroom. When he comes out again, he doesn’t return to his own bed. Instead he stands at the foot of hers, staring at her, and she understands what he isn’t asking. “Come on then,” she says, tapping the space next to her. Lance grins and clambers into the bed, settling down next to her. She turns off the light, and they’re silent.

“I wish I had Toby,” Lance says. “I left him at the base. Didn’t want anything to happen to him.”

Melinda picks up the Rubik’s Cube from the nightstand where she had placed it and passes it to him. “Here, you can sleep with this instead.”

“ _Muuum_ ,” he complains as he takes the toy. “Rubik’s Cubes aren’t meant for sleeping with. They’re too hard.”

“Well, it’s all we have.”

They’re silent for a few minutes before Lance once again breaks it. “Mum?”

“Yes, Lance?”

“I’m glad you didn’t die out there.”

She finds his hand and squeezes it. Silence falls again and May closes her eyes, attempting to sleep.

“Mum?”

Melinda sighs. “Yes, Lance?”

“I love you.”

She smiles in the darkness. “I love you too, Lance. Now shut up and go to sleep. We have a terrorist organization to infiltrate in the morning.”

“Yes, Mum.”


	2. Daisy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daisy recovers from holding open the portal.

DAISY

Pain. Noise. Noise and pain. That’s all she knows. Her head is throbbing to the same frequency needed to open the portal and the tune also rings in her ears. She thinks maybe she won’t be able to hear anything other than that god-awful humming for the rest of her life. Blood trickles out of her nose and someone wipes it away for her. She clutches at her head, groaning as her stomach rolls from the pain. She takes a slow breath. She doesn’t want to throw up on top of everything else.

“Daisy?” Bobbi whispers. “I’m going to start an IV to give you something to help with the pain and something to help you sleep.” Daisy can barely hear her over the pulsing that is reverberating around her skull. She does catch the words ‘IV’ and ‘sleep’ and she hopes the medication knocks her out quickly. At least when she’s unconscious she doesn’t have to listen to the monolith’s song.

~*~*~*~

When she wakes up again they’re back at the Playground, and her head, though still throbbing, doesn’t hurt nearly as bad. She’s in Daddy’s bed, and Mack is sitting next to her, looking at something on a tablet. There’s something cold on top her head and she reaches up to find a cold compress there. “Mack?”

He looks down at her, smiling brightly. “Hey there, Tremors. How are you feeling?”

“My head’s cold,” she complains, pushing the compress off. “Where’s Daddy?”

“He had some business to take care of,” Mack tells her. “He’ll be back soon. Do you want something to drink?”

She nods; realizing as soon as he asks how dry her mouth feels, and then instantly regretting the motion as it causes the throbbing inside her skull to intensify, which in turn strengthens the feeling in her stomach of needing to vomit. He hands her a baby bottle already filled with water, and she starts to drink, hoping that having something in her stomach will settle the nausea. “More,” she demands once it’s empty. “Please,” she adds after Mack raises an eyebrow.

She hugs Ada Lovelace and her blankets to her chest, pouting as she waits for Mack to finish filling the bottle up from the bathroom sink. She feels miserable, exhausted, like she’s just finished hours of training with May. There’s a horrible pressure in her head and she wants it to go away.

Mack hands her a pill with the bottle. “Bobbi said to give it to you when you woke up,” he explains. “It’s for the pain.”

She swallows it and sucks on the bottle, staring at the wall opposite Daddy’s bed, but not really seeing anything.

“I don’t feel well,” Daisy tells Mack when she’s finished, handing the bottle back to him. She curls up, leaning over so that she can rest her head on his lap. She slips her thumb into her mouth and starts to suck as Mack begins stroking her hair.

“I know, Tremors. You were amazing, though. I’m so proud of you for holding on as long as you did.”

Daisy sighs and closes her eyes. Mack’s large hand has started to massage her head in between stroking her hair and it feels really nice. “Fitz was stupid.”

“Yeah,” Mack agrees, a hint of irritation in his tone, “but it got Jemma back.”

She falls back to sleep and when she wakes up again Mack is gone and Daddy’s there. He’s in the middle of changing her diaper and the cold wipes are what wake her. She lets out an irritated whine and tries to squirm away, but the feeling of his gloved hand on her thigh stops her.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart, I know they’re cold,” he tells her, “but you needed to be changed and I don’t want you getting a rash.” He finishes as quickly as he can and goes into the bathroom to throw the diaper away and wash his hands. “How are you feeling?” he asks when he returns.

She takes a moment to assess her body. The pressure in her head has reduced to a dull ache, and her ears are no longer filled with the sound of the frequency needed to open the portal. The nausea in the pit of her stomach has turned to ravenous hunger. “I need food, Daddy,” she answers. “I want a banana, and toast, and more water.”

“Okay, Sk—Daisy,” he corrects himself first and she smiles happily, “I’ll be right back with that.”

She slips her thumb into her mouth as she watches him leave and rubs her blanket against her cheek. _What if he doesn’t come back?_ The mean little voice in her head asks. _What if something more important comes up and he forgets about you?_

_Shut up!_ She thinks back, sucking harder on her thumb to quell the anxiety that’s joined the hunger in her abdomen. “Daddy’s coming back, right, Ada?” she whispers to the elephant.

_Of course_ the elephant answers. _He’s just gone to get you food. Good daddies feed their babies when they’re hungry._

Right. And Daddy is a Very Good Daddy. She tries to keep that thought in her head while she waits, but she isn’t fully able to relax until the door opens and Daddy walks in with a plate and a bottle.

 

PHIL

 

He puts the plate and bottle down on the nightstand and sits on the bed with his back resting against the headboard. Daisy wastes no time climbing in his lap and resting her head on his shoulder. Phil wraps his arms around her and presses a kiss to the top of her head. He’d been so scared when she passed out in the chamber. He hadn’t known what was happening and there was no way to fix it. _She’s safe now._ He tells himself. _She’s safe with me and the monolith is destroyed, so she won’t have to deal with the pressure of the portal ever again._

“Daddy, feed me,” Daisy’s voice interrupts his thoughts and he looks down to see her staring at him expectantly.

“Sorry, sweetheart, I was just thinking about how glad I am that you’re okay.” He turns to the plate that has a banana, already cut up, a piece of plain toast, and a piece of toast with peanut butter on it. “What do you want to eat first?” She shrugs, so he picks up a slice of banana and places it in her open mouth.

There’s a comfortable silence as he feeds her, and the action of placing bits of banana and toast in her mouth is soothing. He finds himself relaxing as he takes care of his little girl, feeling honored that she trusts him enough to do this for her, feed her, hold her, protect her. He picks up the bottle when all the food is gone and puts it in her mouth. She begins to drink, and he feels her body relaxing as she sucks. Her eyes close and he thinks maybe she’ll fall asleep before she finishes the bottle.

She doesn’t, but she does fall asleep almost as soon as she’s drunk the last of the water. He sits there, holding her close and wishing that he could stay like this forever. He loves having Skye—Daisy—to take care of when the pressure of being director gets to be too much. He knows his kids worry about being too needy, but he needs them as much as they need him.

Sadly though, he can’t wear his Daddy hat for the rest of the evening. He gently shifts Daisy off of his lap and arranges her comfortably on the bed. She barely even stirs as he places her elephant and blankets into her arms. “I love you,” he whispers after placing a kiss against her temple.

He straightens, sends a text to Mack with instructions to check in on Daisy, and takes a deep breath. Time to put his Director hat on and go have a loud discussion with Agent Fitz about his actions in the chamber.


	3. Leo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Agent Fitz is reprimanded for his actions.

LEO

Fitz waits outside one of the containment chambers where Bobbi is examining Jemma. He bites his fingers, pacing around to get rid of some of the nervous energy building up inside of him. He wants to be in the room too, never leaving Jemma’s side again, but Bobbi had insisted on the need for privacy. So instead he’s stuck outside, alone, with only his anxiety to keep him company. He briefly considers going to find Mack—the man is good at helping him calm down—but last time he’d seen him he was looking after Daisy and Fitz isn’t ready to face that guilt yet.

Agent Koenig appears around the corner, a serious expression on his face. “Agent Fitz,” he calls out, and Fitz stops pacing, taking his fingers out of his mouth. “Director Coulson wants to see you in his office.”

“Can it wait?” he asks before he can stop himself. “Only, Bobbi’s examining Jemma and I want to hear the results.”

Koenig’s expression changes to sympathy. “You’d better go get it over with, Fitz. Simmons will still be here when you return.”

Actually, considering their track record, it’s more likely for Simmons to disappear again while he’s listening to Coulson’s reprimand, but he keeps that thought to himself and starts trudging toward the director’s office.

The director is standing behind his desk, a serious and stern expression on his face. Fitz moves to stand in front of the desk and studies the various items in Coulson’s collection on the shelves behind his desk. He may have to listen to the director’s lecture, but he doesn’t have to look at the disappointment in the man’s eyes while he does so.

“Fitz,” Coulson begins, and he involuntarily makes eye contact at the sound of his name. “I want to start by saying that I’m happy with the results of what you did. You brought Jemma back, and I will always be grateful to you for that.” Fitz fidgets with the hem of his shirt, waiting for the yelling to begin.

“ _But_ ,” Coulson continues, “your decision to jump into the portal instead of sending the probe through like we decided was _reckless_ and _irresponsible._ You put _your_ life in danger. You put _Daisy’s_ life in danger. You put _Jemma’s_ life in danger. We had _no idea_ what was on the other side of that portal! What do you think would have happened if you hadn’t made it back through? YOU ARE _NOT_ AN ACCEPTABLE LOSS, FITZ! YOU _DO NOT_ PUT YOUR LIFE AT RISK LIKE THAT, _ESPECIALLY_ AT THE EXPENSE OF OTHERS!”

Coulson pauses to allow his words time to sink in and Fitz does his best to ignore the guilt gnawing at his insides. He hadn’t meant to put everyone in danger, but it had been the only way he could see to rescue Jemma, and getting Jemma back was more important than anything.

“Everything turned out okay today,” Coulson adds, “and you are _very_ lucky that it did. But next time, you _will_ follow orders, you _will not_ put your life at risk, and you will _NEVER_ DO ANYTHING LIKE THAT AGAIN! GOT IT?”

Fitz nods. “Yes, sir.” He glances at Coulson in time to see the stern expression turn gentle.

“Fitz,” he says softly, calmly now, “if I had lost you to that rock, I don’t know what I would have done. You’re an important member of this team, and this family, and I _cannot_ lose you.” Fitz nods again. Coulson sighs tiredly. “Dismissed, Agent Fitz.”

Fitz makes his way back to the containment room to find Bobbi standing outside it typing something into a tablet. She looks up as Fitz approaches and smiles sympathetically. “How bad was it?”

Fitz shrugs. “He shouted, and I deserved it, but it was the only way I could see to get Jemma back, so I’d do again in a heartbeat if I had to.” Bobbi frowns and smacks him upside the head. “Ow! What’s that for?!” he protests, reaching up to rub his head.

“Your actions were _stupid_ and they got Daisy hurt, and they could have got you and Jemma hurt too. Next time, you do what Coulson says because I _do not_ want you _dying_ out there, Fitz.”

Fitz scowls at her. “Bloody hell, Bobbi, I just got done having Coulson tell me off. I don’t need another scolding from you.”

“Well it doesn’t sound like you learned anything from Coulson’s scolding if you’re still willing to risk your life and others’ lives again.”

“I will do whatever it takes to make sure Jemma is safe,” Fitz tells her firmly, “no matter the cost. And I know you’d do the same for Hunter—and have done, Miss Missing-Half-a-Lung-Because-I-Took-a-Bullet-Meant-for-Him—so if you want to talk risking your life to save the people we love, let’s go.”

Bobbi glances down, frowning. “You’re right,” she admits. “I can’t really talk. It’s just—you scared us, Fitz.”

“I did what had to be done. And it worked. Jemma’s back, and she’s safe, and the monolith was destroyed so it can never take her away from me again.”

“I’m sorry I hit you.”

“It’s okay. How’s Jemma?”

“She’s sleeping right now. She’s going to need time to get used to being back on Earth, but she should make a full recovery.”

“Can I see her now?”

“Yeah, but let her sleep. She needs it.”

“I will. I just need to see her, see with my own eyes that she’s actually back.”

Bobbi smiles and taps on the tablet to open the door. “Go for it.”

~*~*~*~

Jemma is sound asleep on the bed and he smiles broadly at the sight of her. He’d been putting so much pressure on himself to find out what happened to her and bring her home. Now that he’s succeeded, it feels like a weight has been lifted. He’s so happy right now, and no amount of scolding or punishment will ever make him regret what he did.

He settles on the floor next to the bed and just looks at her. She has a scar on her forehead, above her right eye, and he frowns, wondering what happened to cause that. “What happened to you on that planet, Jemma?” he whispers. “Now it’s your turn to be different.”

Sometime later, he’s not sure how long because he doesn’t have his watch on, the door opens and Coulson enters with a plate of sandwiches and a bottle of water. “Hey,” Coulson says quietly. “I thought you might be hungry.”

“Thanks,” Fitz says, taking the plate and water.

“I know they won’t be as good as Jemma’s sandwich, but I’m pretty sure they’re at least edible,” Coulson jokes, sitting down next to Fitz.

Fitz picks up the top sandwich and wolfs it down. He really is hungry, he realizes. He’d been so worried about Jemma before that he hadn’t even noticed, and he has no idea how much time has passed since he last ate. He finishes the rest of the sandwiches and downs the bottle of water.

He plays with the empty bottle, tossing it from hand to hand. He’s reminded of last night (Well, he thinks it was last night. He’s not sure how many hours ago it was thanks to traveling through numerous time zones.) when Da cuddled him and gave him a bottle to drink. It had been nice. He doesn’t think he wants a bottle all the time, not like Daisy, but maybe once in a while won’t be so bad, especially if he gets to cuddle with Da while he drinks it.

Leo glances at the man and bites his lip. He’s pretty sure it’s just Agent Fitz that’s in trouble, but maybe he’d better check just to be sure. “Da?”

Coulson looks over and smiles kindly. “Yes, Leo?”

“Are you mad at me?”

“Mad at you?” Da repeats, looking confused.

Leo nods. “Because—because of—because, you know—” he uses the empty water bottle to point at Jemma.

Leo watches as Da moves the plate aside and scoots closer. He lets out a surprised yelp as Da reaches out, puts his hands under Leo’s armpits, and pulls him onto his lap. Da is a lot stronger than he looks.

“I’m not happy with the way you went about bringing Jemma back, but I'm not mad at you, Leo. I am _very_ happy that you brought her home." Da presses a kiss to Leo's temple before continuing. "You scared the crap out of me when you jumped in that portal. We had no way of knowing what was on the other side, and Skye—Daisy—could only hold it open for so long. I was so scared that I might lose you too, just like we lost Jemma. I don’t know what I would have done. I love you, Leo. You’re my son, and I _do not_ want to lose you.”

Leo rests his head on Da’s shoulder. “Love you too, Da.”

They just sit there, cuddling, and Leo is happy. He shifts so that he’s able to listen to Da’s heartbeat. He could stay in Da’s lap forever, if that were possible. He feels Da’s phone vibrate in his pocket. Da pulls it out and reads the text.

“Daisy’s awake,” he tells Leo. “I need to go take care of her. Do you want to come with me?”

“No,” Leo says, climbing off of Da’s lap. “I want to stay with Jemma.”

“Okay,” Da agrees, standing up and grimacing as he stretches. “You know where to find me if you change your mind.” He picks up the plate and empty water bottle and exits the room.

Leo fights back a yawn. He’s tired, but he doesn’t want to fall asleep in case Jemma wakes up and needs him. _Maybe I’ll just close my eyes_ he thinks, resting his head against the wall.


	4. Jemma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jemma readjusts to life back on Earth.

JEMMA

The world feels wrong. Everything is too loud, too bright, too light. Gravity was stronger on the planet, and now that she is back on Earth, she feels like she is going to float away. She dresses in layers: leggings under jeans, a tank top under her shirt with a sweatshirt over it, a pull-up too, even though she doesn’t need it. The tightness of the clothes helps her feel more grounded. They put pressure on her skin, which helps when everything else is too much for her body to handle. She holds Fitz’s hand when they walk, and that helps too. He’s a solid, reassuring presence, and if she doesn’t let go, then she can’t lose him again.

She sleeps a lot the first 24 hours that she’s back. She dreams while she sleeps: of monsters in astronaut suits, of Will yelling at her to run. She wakes up afraid, but Fitz is there. She rests her head on his lap and it feels like everything will be okay.

She’s allowed out of the containment chamber when she wakes up again. She gets to go back to her bedroom. She turns the light on, but it’s too bright and hurts her eyes. She turns it back off. Ben Bunny is on her bed right where she left him. She lets go of Fitz’s hand and hurries over to pick him up, hugging him tight to her chest. She opens the drawer of her bedside table and pulls out a dummy, but she doesn’t stick it in her mouth just yet.

“Do you want to go find Da?” Leo asks. “He’ll get us breakfast. Are you hungry?”

Breakfast. She had missed breakfast. And lunch. And dinner. And eating food that isn’t a monster plant. “Yes!” she says, smiling brightly.

She sticks the dummy in her pocket and takes Leo’s hand. He leads her to Daddy’s bedroom door and knocks. “It’s us,” he calls out.

“Come in,” Daddy’s voice calls back.

They enter to find Daddy helping Skye get dressed. “Jemma!” Skye jumps off the bed wearing only sweatpants and a bra and barrels into Jemma, hugging her tight. “I missed you so much!”

“I missed you too, Skye,” Jemma says.

“Daisy,” Skye responds. “I go by Daisy now.”

“Daisy,” Jemma repeats. “Okay.”

“Da, we’re hungry,” Leo announces. “We need pancakes.”

“Yeah, pancakes!” Daisy agrees, going back over to Daddy to put her shirt on. “With chocolate chips!”

“I can make pancakes,” Daddy says with a smile. He comes over and wraps his arms around Jemma. “How are you, Jemma?”

“I’m fine,” she answers automatically. “It’s different, but I’m happy to be back.”

“And we’re very happy that you’re back.” Daddy takes her hand and holds out his left for Skye.

They walk to the kitchen and Daddy flips on the light. Jemma winces at the brightness and the buzzing that sounds like thousands of bees. Daddy lets go of her hand and Skye immediately grabs it, leading her over to the kitchen table. Jemma sits down and Skye plops into her lap. Jemma is grateful for the weight. It helps her feel more secure. She wraps her arms around Skye’s waist and they watch as Daddy and Leo start to make pancakes.

“Skye, where’s Mommy?” Jemma asks.

“It’s Daisy,” she corrects, “and I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“She left, remember?”

“Yes, but she was just going on holiday.”

“Well, she never came back.” Skye—Daisy—sounds angry.

“What else have I missed?” Jemma wonders.

Daisy begins telling Jemma about everything that happened while she was gone. Jemma does her best to listen, but she can’t ignore the sounds of Daddy and Leo cooking. The clatter of the bowl being set on the counter sounds like a door being slammed and the whisk scraping the sides of the bowl sounds like sandpaper rubbing on wood. The kitchen light buzzes and it's too bright and her eyes begin to ache. She closes them tightly and puts her hands over her ears, trying to block out all the sensory input going into her body.

“Jemma? Are you okay?” Daisy’s voice is slightly muffled, but Jemma can still hear what she’s saying.

“It’s too much,” Jemma tells her.

“What is?”

“Everything! The noise and the light and it’s too loud, and too bright, and it hurts!”

“I’ll be right back!” Daisy says, and the pressure of her body leaves Jemma’s lap. Jemma bursts into tears.

“Jemma?” Fitz runs over and kneels down next to the chair. “Jemma, what’s wrong?”

“Fitz!” Jemma opens her eyes so she can see where he is and then wraps her arms around his neck, burying her face into his shoulder as she sobs. He hugs her tightly, murmuring softly to her and rubbing her back.

Daisy enters holding headphones and sunglasses. She places the sunglasses over Jemma’s eyes and the headphones over her ears. The brightness dims and the sounds dull. Jemma slowly stops crying.

“Is that better?” Daisy asks.

Jemma nods. She pulls her dummy out of her pocket and puts it into her mouth, not caring if anyone sees her. Daddy brings over plates of pancakes and places them on the table. Daisy goes to get the silverware. “Daddy.” Jemma reaches for him.

Coulson picks her up and sits down in the chair she’d been in, placing her on his lap. “Would you like me to feed you?” he asks.

“Bottle?” she requests after taking her dummy out of her mouth.

“Leo, would you—” Daddy begins, but Leo’s already on his way to the refrigerator. He brings over a bottle for Jemma and a sippy cup for Daisy both filled with milk. Daddy places the bottle in Jemma’s mouth and she starts to drink.

The milk tastes weird. It’s too thick. Jemma pulls away from the bottle and starts to cry again. Why is everything so different? Daddy places the bottle on the table and begins rubbing her back, rocking her slightly in the chair. “Shh, honey, everything’s going to be okay,” he tells her. “I know this is a lot to handle after being alone on that planet for so long, but you’re doing such a good job dealing with it all.”

Jemma starts to cry harder. _I wasn’t alone_ she wants to tell them, but she can’t get the words out.

“Can you take a deep breath for me, Jemma?” She tries, but it turns into more sobbing. “Good girl,” Daddy praises. “Try again.” Eventually she’s able to get herself under control. Daddy wipes her face with a napkin and then holds another one to her nose. “Blow,” he instructs. She does and he wipes her nose for her.

“Here, why don’t you try some fruit?” Daddy suggests, holding a berry to her lips. She opens her mouth and he places it on her tongue. It takes her a few seconds to recognize the flavor as she chews. Blueberry. It’s good. Way better than monster plant. She opens her mouth for more and Daddy continues feeding her fruit throughout the meal.

He offers her the milk again after the fruit and this time she’s prepared for the taste. It’s not that the milk is different, she realizes as she drinks. It’s that her body got used to only drinking water. She eats some of a pancake too, and it tastes so good. She’d dreamed about food while on the planet. Getting to actually eat it is way better. At least it is until her body decides to let her know its displeasure in the sudden change in diet. She feels a familiar rumbling in her bowels and pokes at Daddy. “Daddy, I need the toilet.”

He lets her up and she rushes out of the kitchen, making it to the toilet down the hall just in time. She starts to cry, holding her stomach. There’s a knock on the door. “Jemma?” It’s Daddy. “Do you need help?”

“No,” Jemma answers. “I can handle it, Daddy. Please, just leave me alone.”

She wipes away the tears, sniffs, and gets to work cleaning herself. When she’s finished, she flushes the toilet and washes her hands. Daddy is waiting for her when she opens the door, a concerned look on his face.

“I guess it will take your body time to get used to Earth food again, huh,” he says, pulling her into a hug. Jemma nods, stifling a yawn. “Why don’t we put you down for a nap, honey?” Daddy suggests. Jemma nods again in agreement. Daddy takes her hand and leads her to his bedroom, stopping by the kitchen on the way to pick up her bunny.

“Daddy, where’s Mommy?” she asks as he takes off the headphones and sunglasses. His bedroom is quiet and dark with only a nightlight helping them see.

“I don’t know,” he responds. “She left on vacation and never came back.”

Jemma bites her lip. “What if she got hurt? Or she needs us? Have you looked for her?”

Daddy wraps his arms around her and kisses the top of her head. “Oh, honey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you. May is fine. Dr. Garner just spoke to her last night to let her know you’re home. I just don’t know where she is right now.”

“Maybe she’s on her way back to see me,” Jemma suggests hopefully.

“Maybe,” Coulson echoes noncommittally. “Do you want me to read to you?”

“Yes, please.”

Jemma climbs into bed while Coulson gets a book from the bookcase. She sucks on her dummy and hugs Ben tightly to her chest. A brief thought of what Will would think of her like this enters her mind and she shakes her head to get rid of it. She’ll tell them about Will soon, but first she needs to adjust back to life on Earth.

Daddy sits on the bed and she leans against his chest. She can hear his heartbeat and the gurgling of his intestines as his body digests his breakfast. It’s a comforting sound. He opens the book and begins to read. “I am Sam. I am Sam. Sam I am.”

She yawns again and her dummy falls from her mouth. A whimper escapes her, but Daddy has already picked the dummy up and puts it back in her mouth without stopping the story. She sucks on it and finds her body relaxing. A little voice in her head suggests that she shouldn’t find this as soothing as she does. She’d survived all that time on the planet without her dummy after all. Surely she should be a real grown up now that she’s back. She tells the voice to shut up. She’d missed her dummy, and Ben Bunny, and Daddy, and Mommy, and Skye, and Leo, and even Lance while she was on the planet. Now that she has them back, well, most of them, she’s going to take all the comfort she can.

Jemma sucks her dummy, hugs Ben Bunny, and listens to Daddy read the silly story. She feels completely safe for the first time in 4,722 hours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, and thanks to all who have left kudos and/or comments!


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